In the Hospital
by Tohdoh
Summary: Hiro winds up in the hospital from stress, sleep deprivation, overworking, and eating too much instant ramen. Baymax pays him a visit. [Oneshot]


**I wrote this three months before the movie's release date, so I relied on trailers and clips to get an idea of what Hiro and Baymax are like. So no fics with grand plots yet, just short fluff.**

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**In the Hospital**

"Ramen poisoning...that's actually a thing?"

Hiro Hamada laid in the hospital bed, his room silent from the lack of reply to the question he had just mumbled aloud.

After days and nights of living on practically nothing but quick-and-easy steaming bowls of instant noodles, Hiro racked up highly acidic levels in his wiry adolescent body. To flush out the salt in his system, the hospital imposed on him a strict diet of fresh fruits and vegetables. Not that Hiro opposed to healthy eating...he was just too lazy and unmotivated as he instead focused his efforts on robotics and all manners of mechanical engineering.

Eventually his body reminded him that he was not a machine. Overworking, stress, long nights, and lack of proper nutrition took its toll as Hiro collapsed in his workplace one day. Surprisingly, Baymax had been the one to call the hospital, and Hiro was in safe hands from there.

Hiro was itching to get back to work, but since that was exactly the main reason he ended up in the hospital in the first place, he could not leave until he fully recovered.

A nurse, Japanese like himself, came in to carry out the usual check up and blood work. Getting his blood drawn no longer fazed the boy, especially since it had to be done every day. When the nurse finished, she returned her clipboard behind her tucked arm and against her chest with a kind smile.

"Oh, I almost forgot, Hiro-kun...you have a visitor."

"I do?"

Baymax waddled into view and barely squeezed through the open door. The nurse affectionately patted his white inflatable arm as she left. Apparently he was a favorite among the hospital staff (minus the secretaries, who complained of Baymax using up their tape to plug the holes in his arms).

Hiro made a lopsided grin. "Hey, buddy. You doing okay?"

"I am doing okay," Baymax repeated with light mechanical deliberation, his usual voice. "How about you?"

Hiro grimaced as he scratched at his scalp. "Man, I feel so yucky. I haven't washed my hair in days. I need a bath."

Baymax waggled a finger at his bed-ridden master. "Rest for one hour before shower."

Hiro knew Baymax was fond of that rhyme. The young prodigious inventor chuckled. "That's just a myth, you know. Nothing bad's gonna happen when I shower right after I eat."

The inflatable robot remained innocently adamant. "Rest for one hour before shower."

It was futile to argue. Hiro grinned as he sat back in his pillows.

"Right, I almost forgot," he conceded. "Thanks, Baymax. You're always looking out for me."

Hiro laid the back of his hand on his forehead. "I was so close to finishing the armor for you. Armor that finally fits. I think." He made a weak laugh and managed a shrug of his shoulders. "We won't know for a while, anyway. I collapsed before I could test out the parts on you." Hiro's grin faded as he reminisced over his older brother. "Tadashi wouldn't be happy to see me in here. I bet he'd be worried sick that I got myself into this mess. I can almost hear him right now..." His voice comically deepened and his face scrunched in an attempt to look older. "'Little brother Hiro, what you need right now is rest. You haven't been getting enough of that for the past few days. You're not setting one foot back home until you're as pink and healthy as a newborn baby.'"

"Sleep is good," Baymax agreed. With his arm that wasn't covered with tape, he reached out to turn off the switch in Hiro's room.

"G'night, Baymax," Hiro mumbled as he yawned.

The robot trundled up to tuck in the blankets for Hiro, a gesture the boy greatly appreciated. He shifted in his bed to get comfortable, though he couldn't do much of it due to his body that was still weak. Sleep came to him smoothly and easily.

It took a robot to remind him that he needed to recharge his battery, so to speak. Only then was he ready to get back into gear and operate at optimal performance.

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**11/8/2014 update: I finally got to see Big Hero 6. As a science nerd/medical student/anime and animation enthusiast, I give it two big thumbs up. I had no idea beforehand that Baymax was a healthcare robot, and I thought that was really cool. I pretty much geeked out when there were actual science references, like Honey Lemon fangirling over chemical reactions and Baymax running his diagnostic tests. To me, the saddest scene was Baymax going "EVA berserk." (Shout-out to my fellow Neon Genesis Evangelion fans out there who get the reference. ;D) As for the oneshot itself, I'm keeping it unchanged. I'm grateful for all the favorites, especially since this is so short. I plan to do more BH6 fics...I'm sure fired up to write some. :3**


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